CDC Reverses Course on Mask Policies

The Centers for Disease Control announced on Tuesday, July 27 that people should go back to wearing masks again when inside public places. This recommendation includes fully vaccinated people and people who have previously been afflicted with COVID-19. As of Tuesday this is only a recommendation, not a mandate.

The CDC also includes students, faculty and staff members in schools as part of the recommendation, even if they have been vaccinated. Previously the CDC relaxed its guidance vaccinated individuals in school systems.

Just a few weeks ago the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released guidance for schools to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The guidance calls for school districts to prioritize COVID-19 prevention to keep students learning in-person. DESE points to CDC guidance that suggests how crucial in-person learning is to students.

The guidance does not recommend requiring masks for students, however it leaves masking policies up to the discretion of individual boards of education.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson has been against a state-wide mask mandate since the beginning of the pandemic. Today he called the CDC’s recommendation disappointing.

“The recently updated CDC guidance regarding mask wearing for fully vaccinated individuals is disappointing and concerning,” Parson said. “It’s disappointing because it is inconsistent with the overwhelming evidence surrounding the efficacy of the vaccines and their proven results, and it only serves to disrupt the increases we are seeing in vaccine uptake.”

There has been no update from the Clay County Public Health Center or Kearney School district about updating current policies in response to the new CDC recommendation. KPGZ News will update the story as details develop.

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story